THE AMERICAN TARIFF ON WOOL.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3697, 21 May 1883, Page 4

THE AMERICAN TARIFF ON WOOL.

"Jacob Terry," the 'Frisco correspondent of the Otago Witness, writes as follows on the amended American wool tariff:— . L . , ~ The Tariff .Bill does not give saustaction to woolgrowers in Ohio, who arc up inarms si.ffiui.st the reduction of duty; but they will make nothing by their opposition. Schedule X divides all wools and hair of the alpaca goat and other like animals into three classes.

Class I.—Clothing; wools—that in to say, merino, mestiza, mots or metis wools, or other wools of the merino blood, immediate or remote; Down clothing wools, and wools of like •jliaracter with any »f the preceding , , including such as have been heretofore usually imported into the United States from Buenos Ayrcs, New Zealand, Australia, Cape of Good Hope, Eussia, Great Britain, Canada, and elsewhere, and also including' all wools not hereinafter described or designated in classes two and three.

The duty on wools of the first class, if washed when imported, shall bo twice the amount of the duty to which they would be subjected if imported unwashed; and the duty ou wools of all classes which shall be imported scoured shall be three times the amount of duty to which they would be subjected it' imported unwashed. The duty upon wool of the sheep or hair of the alpaca, goat, and other like animals, which shall be inpoi'ted in any other than ordinary condition, as now and heretofore practised, or which shall bo changed in its character or condition for the purpose of evading the duty, or which shall bo reduced in valueby the'adinixture of dirt or any other foreign substance, shall be twice the duty to which it would be otherwise subject. Wools of the iirst class,' the value whereof at the last port or place whence exported to the United States, excluding charges in such port, shall be 30 cents (Is 3d) or less per pound, 10 cents (3d) per pound; wools of the same class, the value whereof at the last port or place whence exported to the United States, excluding charges in such port, .shall exceed 30 cents per pound, 12 cents (Gd) per pound. Class two, combing wools of every variety, also all hair of the alpaca, goat, and other liko animals, the value whereof at the last port or place of shipment to the United States, excluding charges in each port or place, shall bo 130 cents or less per lb., 10 cents per lb. ; if the value exceeds 30 cents, Vi cents per lb. Wools of the third class, being South American wool, and all such wools as have usually been imported into the United States from Turkey? Greece, Syria, and elsewhere, the value whereof shall be 12 cents and less per lb., exclusive of charges at the last place of shipment, 2 A cents a lb. ; exceeding 12 cents in value, 5 cents per lb. Wools on the skin the same rates as other wools, the quantity and value to be ascertained under rules to be proscribed by the Secretary of the Treasury. Woollen rags, shoddy, mungo, waste, and flocks, 10 cents per pound. I need not fulloAV the schedule on woollen cloths, because you are not likely to export any while the present United Stales tariff is in operation. It will boobserved Ihatmerino wool and combing wool in grease, according to value, will pay a duty of 3d and Gd per pound respectively. The 30 per cent, a<l ■valorem duty having been abolished, it will now be possible to import the finest grades of New Zealand wool at a profit. Skins, dried, suited, or pickled, except sheepskins with wool on them, are admitted duty tree; also lishskins : hide cuttings, raw, with of without hair, and all glue .stock; hoot's, horns and parts of horns, unmanufactured, and horn strips and tips.

The free list also includes animals for breeding purposes; esparto or Spanish grass, and other grasses and pulp of the same, for the manufacture of paper ; paper stock, crude, of every description, including all grasses, fibres, rags of all kinds other than wool, waste, shavings, clippings, old paper, rope ends, waste rope, andbagging; gunny bags and (sloth to be used in making paper, and lit only for that purpose ; also cotton waste. Whether this would admit New Zealand Max free for all purposes is doubtful. If for cordage, it would pay 13dol a ton duty ; but it is probable it might be imported free of duty for the paper-mills. Among other articles on the free list are sharks' skins, which might employ the Maoris ; manganese, oxide or ore thereof : crude minerals ; gold and silver bullion, coin and ores anthracite coal; cotton ; fruit, green, ripe, or dried not otherwise enumerated; broken glass for manufacture ; mica waste ; plumbago, tin ore; unmanufactured whale-bone.

I have given this list someAvhat in detail because of the special industries of New Zealand. It will be evident, however, as I have already remarked, that the United States market is aA-ailable to New Zealand producers now on much more favourable conditions than formerly.